Dolichos lablab

ianbrazil(11)February 22, 2013

I have been offered some beans of the above, which I believe is also known as Hyacinth or Egyptian bean. I won't have any difficulty growing it but I have read conflicting articles about its edibility.Some say excellent, including the leaves, others poisonous, unless well-cooked. ?????? I gather it's grown mainly as an ornamental, a bit like sweet pea.

OK, when youre talking about LabLab, you're talking about a very talented bean plant. This is a plant that knows how to grow, and will grow luxuriently. It knows how to fix nitrogen and will fix it abundantly if the soil has factors.

The indian subcontinent calls it 'Val' and they typically soak then remove the coating on the seed - a laborious process. I have not found them delicious, but would like to hear if anyone has found them particuarly useful.